Edinburgh Police Introduce Dedicated Unit for City Centre Patrols 2026

Key Points

• The City of Edinburgh Council formally approved a 5% overnight accommodation charge for visitors arriving on or after 24 July 2026.
• The levy is expected to generate around £50 million per year to support tourism infrastructure and city services.
• A new City Centre Policing Unit (CCPU) with nearly 50 officers will begin duties on Thursday, 2 July 2026.
• The CCPU will be funded through the Visitor Levy, match-funded by Police Scotland over three years.
• The unit comprises an Inspector, three sergeants, and 45 constables dedicated to proactive city centre patrols.
• Chief Superintendent David Robertson said the CCPU will help keep Edinburgh’s city centre safe for residents, businesses, and visitors.
• Cllr Margaret Graham highlighted that the levy’s first investments are already making visible differences on the ground.
• The CCPU will support major city events, including the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe, and work with specialist crime units.
• The partnership is designed to reduce demand on frontline officers and improve safety across neighbourhoods as well as the city centre.
• Future levy projects include investment in public spaces, parks, greenspaces, and restoration of cultural heritage such as the Royal High School and Leith Theatre.

Edinburgh (Edinburgh Daily) July 02, 2026 – In January 2025, the City of uk/local/edinburgh-council/">Edinburgh Council formally agreed to introduce a 5% charge on overnight accommodation within the Capital for those visiting on or after 24 July 2026. It is anticipated that £50 million revenue will be raised each year to sustain and enhance Edinburgh’s reputation as one of the most beautiful and enjoyable destinations in the world.

Following the announcement of the visitor levy’s introduction, Edinburgh Division has been liaising with the Council, and an agreement was reached to fund the City Centre Policing Unit (CCPU). The new team, which begins duties on Thursday, 2 July, will provide additional police officers dedicated to proactively patrolling the Capital’s city centre thanks to investment from the Council’s Visitor Levy over the next three years, which has been match-funded by Police Scotland.

The CCPU comprises an Inspector, three sergeants and 45 constables. Having an expanded city centre resource will also allow Edinburgh Division to provide an early and effective response to spontaneous challenges, as well as reducing demand on frontline officers from other areas of the city – allowing them to increase their focus on serving other neighbourhoods across the city.

The CCPU will play a pivotal role in supporting planned city-centre events and will work alongside specialist units such as The Retail Crime Taskforce and Scottish Violence Reduction Unit to ensure specific crime-types affecting the city-centre community are effectively addressed.

How will the City Centre Policing Unit operate in practice?

As reported by an Edinburgh Daily correspondent, Chief Superintendent David Robertson, Divisional Commander for Edinburgh, said: “Edinburgh’s city-centre is a unique and vibrant destination for residents, businesses and visitors, and it is absolutely vital that we have appropriate resources in place to ensure it remains a safe place to live, work, and visit”.

“Our partners at the City of Edinburgh Council recognised the importance of having a dedicated policing team to serve the specific needs of the city-centre and the Visitor Levy revenue was identified as an ideal opportunity to achieve this,”

Robertson continued.

“Almost 50 officers will now support policing operations and activity within the city-centre, and I am delighted that our council partners have shared our vision of how the CCPU can provide immense benefits to the city”.

“With the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe only a few short weeks away, and the festive celebrations emerging on the horizon, the CCPU will have to hit the ground running,” Robertson added.

“However, I am confident that the team will quickly demonstrate their value to not only the city-centre, but to the Division as a whole”.

The unit’s proactive patrol model is designed to deter retail crime, anti-social behaviour, and other offences that disproportionately affect busy tourist areas. By concentrating capacity in the city centre, the CCPU aims to reduce pressure on neighbourhood officers who can then focus more intensively on local policing priorities.

What have council leaders said about the visitor levy and policing partnership?

As reported by an Edinburgh Daily correspondent, Cllr Margaret Graham, Culture and Communities Convener at the City of Edinburgh Council, said:

“The Visitor Levy is already helping to deliver real, tangible benefits for our Capital city ahead of its full introduction on 24 July”.

“By working closely with our partners at Police Scotland to support this new policing unit, we’re ensuring that the people who live, work and visit Edinburgh feel safer and better supported – not only in our bustling central streets, but in neighbourhoods across the city by reducing demand on existing officer resources,” Graham stated.

“The results of this partnership demonstrate exactly what the levy is designed to do: reinvest in the services and infrastructure that keep our city welcoming, vibrant, and successful,”

she added.

“We will now see the levy’s first investments making a visible difference on the ground, and there’s much, much more to come in the years to come,”

Graham said.

“From investing more in our public spaces, parks, and greenspaces to restoring cultural heritage like the Royal High School and Leith Theatre, our visitor levy projects stand to benefit everyone”.

The council has framed the CCPU as a flagship example of how the levy can translate visitor spending into tangible improvements in safety, infrastructure, and cultural assets.

Why does Edinburgh need a dedicated city centre policing resource now?

Edinburgh’s city centre hosts a concentrated mix of tourists, residents, retail outlets, bars, restaurants, and major cultural events, creating particular pressures on public safety and order. With the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe approaching, the city expects a significant surge in visitor numbers, which historically increases demands on policing and emergency services.

The CCPU is designed to address these pressures by providing a dedicated, high-visibility presence that can respond quickly to incidents, support event security plans, and work closely with businesses and event organisers. The unit’s structure – an Inspector, three sergeants, and 45 constables – allows for layered command and flexible deployment across different zones and times.

By taking on city centre-specific tasks, the CCPU aims to free up general-frontline officers to deal more effectively with neighbourhood crime, domestic incidents, and community policing work. This redistribution of effort is expected to improve overall service levels across the city while maintaining a strong safety profile in the most visited areas.

Background to the Visitor Levy and City Centre Policing Development

The Visitor Levy was formally approved by the City of Edinburgh Council in January 2025 after extended discussion about how best to fund the maintenance and enhancement of the city’s tourism infrastructure. The policy introduces a 5% charge on overnight accommodation for visitors arriving on or after 24 July 2026, with projected annual revenue of around £50 million.

The levy was designed not only to raise funds but also to create a direct link between tourism economic activity and local investment. Council leaders have repeatedly stated that the money should be reinvested in services and infrastructure that benefit both visitors and residents, including public spaces, parks, cultural heritage projects, and safety initiatives.

The decision to ring-fence part of the levy income to fund the City Centre Policing Unit emerged from negotiations between Edinburgh Division of Police Scotland and the Council. The arrangement involves match-funding from Police Scotland over three years, ensuring that the CCPU is sustained beyond the initial investment period and integrated into the division’s longer-term staffing plans.

How will this development affect visitors, residents, and businesses in Edinburgh?

For visitors, the introduction of the CCPU is expected to enhance the sense of safety in the city centre, particularly during high-profile events such as the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe. A more visible, dedicated policing presence may reduce opportunities for retail crime, anti-social behaviour, and other offences that can affect tourists’ experiences. The 5% accommodation charge will slightly increase the cost of stays, but council leaders argue that the reinvestment into safety and infrastructure will improve overall value for visitors.

For residents, the CCPU offers the prospect of a safer city centre environment that is less disruptive and more secure, which can benefit people who live, work, or socialise in central Edinburgh. By reducing demand on frontline officers from other areas, the unit may also improve policing responsiveness in neighbourhoods, potentially leading to better outcomes for local crime prevention and community engagement.

For businesses, especially those in retail, hospitality, and entertainment, a dedicated city centre policing unit could help create a more stable and predictable operating environment. Reduced crime and improved public order may translate into lower losses, fewer incidents requiring staff intervention, and a more attractive environment for customers. However, some businesses may also face higher accommodation costs for staff who travel to Edinburgh, depending on how the levy is applied and any exemptions that may be introduced.

Overall, the combination of the Visitor Levy and the CCPU represents a shift toward funded, targeted investment in city safety and infrastructure, with the expectation that both visitors and the local community will benefit from a more secure, well-maintained, and resilient city centre.